Text this colour is a link for Members only. Support us by becoming a Member for only £3 a month by joining our 'Buy Me A Coffee page'; Membership gives you access to all content and removes ads.

Text this colour links to Pages. Text this colour links to Family Trees. Place the mouse over images to see a larger image. Click on paintings to see the painter's Biography Page. Mouse over links for a preview. Move the mouse off the painting or link to close the popup.



All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

Aldersgate Ward, City of London, England, British Isles

Aldersgate Ward is in City of London.

See: Aldersgate Street, Foster Lane, St Botolph without Aldgate, St John Zachary Church.

From 1450 to 1472 Matthew Philip was appointed Alderman of Aldersgate Ward.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 6th June 1556. The ix day of June was drane from the Towre unto Tyborne iij gentyllmen for a consperace, master Rosey, master Bedylle, and master Dethyke, and ther hangyd and quartered, and ther quarters bered, master Rosey('s) hed on London bryge, and Bedylle('s) hed over Ludgatt, and master Dethyke('s) over Althergatt.

On 19th December 1615 John Gore was elected Alderman of Aldersgate Ward.

On 2nd January 1625 Christopher Clitherow was elected Alderman of Aldersgate Ward.

On 12th February 1628 William Acton 1st Baronet was elected Alderman for Aldersgate Ward.

Great Fire of London

John Evelyn's Diary. 7th September 1666. I went this morning on foot from Whitehall as far as London Bridge, through the late Fleet Street, Ludgate hill by St. Paul's, Cheapside, Exchange, Bishops-gate, Aldersgate Ward, and out to Moorfields, thence through Cornhill, etc., with extraordinary difficulty, clambering over heaps of yet smoking rubbish, and frequently mistaking where I was; the ground under my feet so hot, that it even burnt the soles of my shoes. In the meantime, his Majesty got to the Tower by water, to demolish the houses about the graff, which, being built entirely about it, had they taken fire and attacked the White Tower, where the magazine of powder lay, would undoubtedly not only have beaten down and destroyed all the bridge, but sunk and torn the vessels in the river, and rendered the demolition beyond all expression for several miles about the country.

On 3rd March 1701 Samuel Garrard 4th Baronet was elected Alderman of Aldersgate Ward.

Foster Lane, Aldersgate Ward, City of London, England, British Isles

Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 10th June 1554. The xth of June, beinge Sundaye, an handgun was shott of neare to Paules Churchyeard in the sermon tyme, the pellett hittinge the churche wall next where the Lord Mayre satt and after fell on a mans shoulder, and taken up and delyvered to the Lord Mayre; and after the sermon was done, searche was made all about the precinct of Paules in everie howse, but no knowledge could be fownd but that a gonne was shott in Foster Lane neare St. Fausters Churche. But the partie that shott it (by reporte) fleed, and within vi dayes after was taken and examined afore the Lord Mayre and sent to prison, and divers witnesse allso examined for the same, which agreed not one with another, and the partie allso himselfe denieinge that he shott anye, nor no gun could be founde in the howsse that the reporte was spoken where it should be shott. So that after x or xii dayes imprisonment he was bayled upon suerties, and bound to be forthcomminge at all tymes when he should be sent for; and so was discharged out of warde.

St Leonard's Church Foster Lane, Aldersgate Ward, City of London, England, British Isles

Henry Machyn's Diary. 23rd December 1560. The xxiij day of Desember was bered in sant Lenardes in Foster lane master Trapes gold-smyth; the howse, the stret, and the chyrche hangyd with blake and armes, and gayff mony gownes boyth to men and women. Master Beycun dyd pryche, and powre men had gownes, and a iij dosen skochyons; and after a grett dener.

Note. P. 246. Funeral of master Trapps, goldsmith. This was one of a family of which several memorials were in the church of St. Leonard's, Foster-lane, which will be found printed in Weever's Funerall Monuments, and the several histories of London: particularly some curious English verses (A°. 1529), alluding to funeral ceremonies, which begin "When the bells be merrily roung, And the masse devoutly soung, And the meate [be] merrily eaten, Then shall Robart Trappis, his wyffs and his children be forgotten."

Another monument to Joyce Frankland, widow, daughter of Robert and Joane Trappes, was the erection of the principal and scholars of Brazenose college, Oxford.

St Botolph without Aldgate, Aldersgate Ward, City of London, England, British Isles

On 3rd September 1555 Nicholas Wadham and Dorothy Petre were married at St Botolph without Aldgate.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 10th August 1557. The x day of August was bered master Dause, gentyllman to the quen, at sant Botulff with-owt Altergatt, with armes and ij branchys, xij stayffes, and iiij tapurs.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 30th October 1557. The xxx day of October was bered ser Wylliam Cand ... knight, with ij whytt branchys, and xij stayff torchys, iij grett tapurs, and (blank) skochyons, at sant Botulff with-owt Althergatt.

Note. P. 156. Funeral of sir William Cavendish. Treasurer of the chamber to king Henry VIII. king Edward VI. and queen Mary, and a member of the privy council. He had three wives, and the last was the memorable "Bess of Hardwick," afterwards countess of Shrewsbury; who gave birth by him to two sons, William afterwards the first earl of Devonshire, Charles father of the first duke of Newcastle, and three daughters, Frances wife of sir Henry Pierrepoint and ancestor of the dukes of Kingston, Elizabeth countess of Lennox and mother of the lady Arabella Stuart, and Mary countess of Shrewsbury. The life of Elizabeth countess of Shrewsbury has exercised the pen of several biographers; but see particularly Miss Costello's Memoirs of Eminent Englishwomen, 1844, vol. i.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 8th January 1559. The viij day of January was bered Edmund .... penter in sant Botulf with-owt Althergatt, and ther the masters of the Penters in ther leveray, with .... and vj sthayffe torchys; for he was a good wor[kman] as any ys, the wyche he retayned to master Ga[rter] ...

Note. P. 185. Funeral of Edmund—Hapsam is probably the name deficient, as he was one of the painters employed for queen Mary's funeral. (MS. I. 14, in Coll. Arm. f. 198.)

On 31st December 1559 Mary Carew died. She was buried at St Botolph without Aldgate.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 8th January 1560. The viij day of January was bered at sant Botulf with-owt Algatt my lade Darce, the wyff of ser Arthur Darce knyght; and so the chyrche and the quer wher hangyd with blake and armes, and so browth to the chyrche with xxx [priests] and clarkes syngyng, and ther was ij haroldes of armes, master Clarenshux and master Somersett in ther ryche cottes; [then] cam the mornars, in gownes and cottes; then came ... that bare a pennon of armes, and the corse, with a ryche palle; there was a C [100] in blake, and xxiiij [24] men and women pore had gownes; and master Juell byshope of Salysbere dyd pryche; and the(re) was a communyon; and all the morners offered; and after a grett dolle of money; and, all done, to the plasse to dener, for ther was a grett dener, and there were vij [7] dosen of skochyons of armes.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th April 1561. The xiiij day of Aprell a-for non was cared from sant Ellens in London, owt of a howse [where once] lyved old Clarenshus master Benolt the kyng at a[rms in the] tyme of kyng Henre viij. ser Arthur Darce, and cared [to saint] Botolffe with-owt Algatt to (be) bered by my lade ys [wife, with] a xx clarkes syngynge, and then cam the standard ... of armes and ys cott armur, ys target and sword and helmet, ... and ij haroldes of armes, on beyryng the elmett and nodur [the coat armour;] and the chyrche hangyd with blake and armes and raylles, [and the place] with blake and armes, and then cam the corse and vj of ys [servants] that bare hym, and mony mornars in blake; and he had a pall of blake velvett, and with armes of bokeram; and master Beycun dyd pryche ther.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th April 1562. The xiiij day of Aprell was bered at sant Botulffe with-owtt Althergate mastores Hunderell, with a dosen of skochyons of armes, and ther dyd pryche for here (blank)

St John Zachary Church, Aldersgate Ward, City of London, England, British Isles

Henry Machyn's Diary. 18th June 1562. The xviij day of June was bered master Fuwilliam in the parryche of sant Johns Sacres, the wyche [died] at master Kyndylmarche('s) howse of the sam parryche, wyche he kepyth a tabull for gentyllmen, [and] he had vj skochyons of armes, the wyche w[as son?] of the lord Feywylliam late lord of the preveshalle [Pricy Seal] and (who died) before Newcastyll, the wyche (unfinished)

Note. P. 286. Master Fuwilliam. This probably records the burial of Thomas FitzWilliam alias Fisher, who was a natural son of the Earl of Southampton, mentioned by Ralph Brooke in his Catalogue of Nobility. The Earl, who died at Newcastle when commanding the Van of the army sent against Scotland in 1542, left no legitimate issue.